FDA Offices by County

About FDA Offices

What is the FDA?

The FDA is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a major regulatory agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA regulates a vast range of food and drug related products in order to protect public health. The regulation of food is intended to ensure the safety of the nation's food supply. The regulation of drugs and medical products is intended to ensure their safety, efficacy, and security. The FDA also regulates tobacco products, cosmetics, and electronic products that emit radiation. In addition to regulatory efforts that protect public health, the FDA works to spur innovations that can increase food safety and make medicines and medical devices safer and more effective.

The FDA oversees most of the nation's food supply, excluding meat, poultry, and egg products. The food program ensures that production methods comply with science-based standards in order to prevent food-borne illnesses and to protect against intentional contamination. The FDA also monitors animal feed and animal drugs for their potential impact on the safety of human food. Oversight also covers food labeling to ensure its accuracy and reliability. When problems or instances of non-compliance are detected as a result of event reporting, inspections, or sampling, the FDA has the authority to issue product recalls and to take action against producers, including criminal action.

Before a drug may be sold in the U.S., the FDA must approve it. The FDA receives and evaluates drug test results from drug companies to ensure that drugs are safe and effective before they are approved for sale. As is the case with food products, the FDA also oversees the production of drugs and medical products.

The FDA's regulation of tobacco products is aimed at minimizing the sale and distribution of tobacco products to children. The FDA monitors tobacco marketing and conducts inspections of retailers to ensure compliance.

The reach of the FDA's regulatory authority extends to vaccines and other biologics, cosmetics, and radiation emitting electronics. The agency employs roughly 13,000 people in four directorates organized around its core functions: Food Safety, Medical Products and Tobacco, Global Regulatory Operations and Policy.